Bayview Youth Club, founded by East Fife manager Dave McLean before the second world war, was a nursery club that produced many players for the Fife during the halcyon days of the late 1940s and early 1950s, as well as some notable players for other clubs including the like of Hearts’ goalkeeper Jimmy Brown and half-back Davie Laing.
Andy Matthew was one such player, stepping up from Bayview Youth Club to East Fife in December 1949 at the age of seventeen.
As would be expected, it took some time for the youngster to break into what was an established and very successful first team, with East Fife League Cup holders at the time of Andy’s signing, having won the trophy for the second time just months earlier.
The team were also challenging for the Scottish League title and were Scottish Cup finalists during andy;s early days at Bayview, so it was inevitable that he would have to ‘bide his time’ with the reserves.
Finally, on 18th August 1951, Andy was handed a starting place in a League Cup clash with Aberdeen at Bayview when he replaced Davie Duncan on the left-wing. East Fife won convincingly by three goals to nil, and the maytch report that appeared in the following addition of the Dubndee Courier singlied young Andy out for praise:
“Andrew Matthew did all that could be expected from a young lad making his big game debut. He has the ideas and the courage. All that he now required is the confidence”
Andy retained his place in the side for the remainder of the League Cup sectional ties, before making a scoring league debut at Tynecastle on 8th September 1951, when the Fife went down 3-1 to Hearts.
Ironically, the man in goal for Hearts that afternoon, who put in one of his “best-ever performance” according to press reports, was none other than the aforementioned former Bayview Youth ‘keeper Jimmy Brown!
Despite Andy Matthew’s favourable performances, East Fife decided to bring Davie Duncan back into the side just a week after Andy’s league debut, and once again he was confined to the reserves. For the remainder of season 1951/52 and die season 1952/53, Andy made only occasional first team appearances, but during season 1953/54 he finally won the number eleven jersey from legendary rival Duncan who, following a spell in the reserves, was eventually transferred to Raith Rovers.
In October 1953, Andy’s efforts were rewarded when he played his art in the East Fife team that lifted the Scottish League Cup for the third time following a thrilling 3-2 victory over Partick Thistle at Hampden. Just under a month later, Andy won his first international honour when he was selected to pull on the dark blue jersey of Scotland for an “unofficial” international against the British Army at Goodison Park in Liverpool on Wednesday 18th November 1953.
Previewing the match, the Dundee Courier were of the opinion that the talent on display, include the East Fife winger, would no doubt attract the interest of several club managers from south of the border. In an article which appeared on the morning of the match, under the headline “English Managers May Outnumber Scottish Supporters!” reporter Colin Glen observed:
“The Scots who lined up against the Army at Goodison Park, Everton, today may not have many of their countrymen supporting them, but there will be plenty English managers there watching them inaction, three players in particular are fancied – Joe McDonald, Sam Baird and Andy Matthew. These three are all newcomers to a Scottish jersey and for Scotland’s sake, I hope they plat to their club form. Newcastle, Preston, Liverpool and a host of other clubs will be hoping the same.”
However, the reporter was also of the opinion that in the event it was unlikely East Fife would part with Andy Matthew and concluded:
“The Fifers have had a food season financially so far, with the League Cup success, and their various floodlight trips. They need Mathew and will hang on to him”.
Unfortunately, despite victory by the odd-goal-in-five, the Scots team’s performance on the night was disappointing, with Andy having a quite game on the left wing and playing no part in any of the three Scotland goals.
Andy then fell out of the international selectors’ reckoning for a number of seasons, as East Fife approached the end of their halcyon days and slipped down the league table/
It was perhaps surprising, therefore, when Andy was selected to play for the Scottish League in a trial match against a Scotland XI on 3rd February 1958, arranged as part of Scotland’s build up to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
In front of an incredible crowd of 45,436 at Easter Road in Edinburgh, the largest at the time to have witnessed a floodlit match, Andy found himself on the losing side as the Scotland trial eleven won by three-goals-to-two. Despite being involved in the build up to the Scottish League’s second goa, Andy, just like his previous appearance in a Scotland jersey, had a quiet game, and subsequently bowed out of the international scene.
Later that same year, with East Fife having just been relegated to the Second Division of the Scottish League, Andy Matthew signed for Rangers and kept his top-flight football career alive. Following two seasons at Ibrox, Andy returned to Fife to spend a season at Raith Rovers before moving on to Dunfermline and Cowdenbeath, thus becoming one of the few players to turn out for all four Fife clubs. He played his last senior match when he appeared as a substitute for Cowdenbeath during season 1968/69.
Andy passed away in October 1992 aged just 60.
Jim Corstorphine